Shutter



May 16,- 1939.

D. D. SWENEY SHUTTER 2 Sheets-Sheei l Filed 00T.. 25, 1937 QN @N May 16,1939. n. D. swENEY SHUTTER Filed Oct. 25, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 vif,invention is designed particularly for use as an for the most part,effectively concealed and Patented May 16, 1939 l UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE SHUTTER` Don D. Sweney, Michigan City, Ind., assignor to DwyerProducts Corporation, Michigan City, Ind., a corporation of IndianaApplication October 25, 1937, Serial No. 170,766 12 Claims. (Cl. ISB-60)This invention relates to improvements in equipment in a completedbuilding without reclosures, in the nature of` screens or shutters, forquiring any cutting or modication of the builduse in buildings. Theshutter construction which ing structure, which is readily removed ordisconstitutes the subject matter of the present mantled for purpose ofcleaning, and which is,

interior closure lor screen for closing off or conhoused, when in closedposition, so that its surcealing an alcove, closet, or the like,frornthe faces are not exposed to the fouling effect of room into which itopens, but, of course, may be vapors arising from the cooking.

employed in other locations. Other objects and advantages of theinvention Many apartment buildings are designed to will be pointed outor indicated hereinafter, or 10 provide small housekeeping apartments inwhich will be apparent from the following description. the kitchen, orkitchenette, is confined to a small For purpose of aiding in anexplanation of the space, frequently in the nature of` a comparativelyinvention I show in the drawings forming a part shallow alcove or offsetfrom a living room, enof this specification, and hereinafter describe,

trance hall, or the like. It is quite desirable one embodiment of it. Itis to be understood, 15 that means be provided for closing off orscreenhowever, that this is presented merely for purpose ing suchalcoves from the connecting room in of illustration and is not to beconstrued in any order to conceal its equipment or contents, but fashionfor the purpose of limiting the appended due to limitations of space,the use of swinging claims short of the true and most comprehensivedoors, curtains, or the like is undesirable because Seope of theinvention in the art. 0

of their restriction of the entrance space to the In said drawings,alcove or encroachment on space in the room or Fig. l is an elevationalSection 0f the upper Pol'- the alcove which is required for otherpurposes. tion of ein eflCOVe equipped With a Closure or The width ofsuch kitchenette aleoves runs from shutter constituting the subjectmatter of the a minimum of' about 39 inches to a, maximum 0f presentinvention, the shutter installation being 25 about seven feet, and theirdepth may be as little shown in the open o1 fully eleVeted position; asthree feet. In such a kitchenette of average Fis. 2 is a similarelevational section of a lower width, which is about siX and a halffeet, it is DoltlOn O the aleOVe, Showing POItOnS of the customary toinstall a small gas range, mechanical Shutter 0I' Closure in the Closed01 fully lOWeIed ,30 refrigerator and sink, and various cabinets orposition; o cupboards above them. Fig. 3 is a broken front elevationalview show- The general object of the present invention is ing the upperportion of the shutter in the lowered to provide a shutter or closureinstallation which ol Closed position;

is adapted to afford an effective and sightly Fig. 4 is a brokenvertical section taken longiscreen for such an alcove and which, when itis in tudlelly 0f the Shutter Ceillel; 5 open position, does notencroach upon the floor Fg- 5 lS e horizontal SeCtOn through an endspace or wall space of the alcove or adjoining portion of the shuttercarrier and the associated room. guide;

Another object is the provision of such a closure Fig- 6 iS a fronteleVational View of one of the 0 `or shutter which is susceptible ofbeing operated Safety Stops; 40 very easily in moving it to open andclosed posi- Fig. 7 iS d perspective VeW Of e form 0f Clamp tions, whichis substantially foolproof, and for securing the suspension cables ofthe shutter which affords effective safeguards against injury Carrier;to persons or equipment incident to its operation Fg- 8 iS a Tealelevational View of the shutter or in event of its disgblement,operating and oounterbalancing mechanism, some 5 Another object is theprovision of such a closure of the parte being SlloWll in Section; andwhich is nreproof and which may be moved to Fie, 9 is a ton or plan viewof the shutter operopen or closed position with safety while the gasating ind COuntefbelonCng mechanism. range is operating, and which, inits closed posi- AS may be ascertained from the following detion,permits desirable access of Ventilating air tailed description 0f theembodiment here illus- 50 tothe alcove and to the gas range andmechanical trated, the ClOSule C011Sttutng the Subjeot InatrefrigeratorYhoused therein. ter of the present invention is somewhat in the Yetfurther objects are the provisionof such a, nature of the conventionalVenetian blind, in the closure which can be matched wellwith the roomparticulars that the screen is comprised of slats trim, vwhich may beeasily installed as a piece of which are carried on ladder'tapes or thelike that are suspended at their upper ends. With this blind or screenis associated a vertically slidable carrier which affords a compartmentin which the slats are collected, one upon another, as the carrier israised, and from which they are withdrawn by the tapes as the carrier islowered. In the upper limit position of the carrier, the compartment inwhich the slats and tapes are gathered is completely closed, so thatthey are fully housed and protected from fouling by vapors, smoke, anddust-carrying air currents. The carrier normally is supported bysuspension cables which are acted on by a counterbalancing mechanismwhich automatically varies the counterbalancing power exerted on thecarrier as the weight imposed on it is increased or decreased incidentto its upward or downward movement. The carrier is guided in itsvertical movement by suitable guiding means at its ends, and it isequipped with safety catch devices which operate automatically toprevent its falling in event it is ,notV sustained by the suspensioncables, or to support it when desired.

V,The illustrative embodiment shown in the drawings will now bedescribed in detail.

Referring first to Fig. 1, let it be understood thatthis represents anupper portion of an alcove equipped as a kitchenette or the like, theentrance to the alcove being at the right of the figure. Fig. 2represents a lower portion of the ,alcove directly below the `portionillustrated in Fig. 1. The object designated by the reference CharacterC may be regarded as representing an upper portion of a cabinet orcupboardin the alcove, and that designated by R as representing aportion of the casing or cabinet of a mechanical refrigerator housed inthe alcove. The ceiling of the alcove is indicated at S and the floor atF and a side wall at W.

To the opposite wall portions at the entrance of the alcove are affixedvertically extending guides I0, which extend from the floor almost tothe ceiling. These guides are shown `in Fig. 3, and one of them is shownin cross section in Fig. 5. 'Ihey afford vertically extending slotwaysII'Ia` and a vertically running series of stop openings IIlb.

In the upper front portion of the alcove and extending across its widthis installed a metallic housing II having a removable bottom closure IIaand a forwardly jutting portion I Ib which has a bottom wall IIe. Thishousing constitutes a unit in which the operating and counterbalancingmechanism is mounted and carried. Ears or brackets I2 are secured to thebottom wall II c and in these are mounted removable pins I4 on ,whichthe ladder tapes I5 of the screen are hung. There are two or more pairsof these ladder tapes, depending on the width of the screen, and theyare of conventional form and, if made of fabric, may be impregnated ortreated, in a suitable known manner, to render them flreproof. 'I'hescreen slats I6 are made of light sheet metal,r of length to extendalmost completely across the entrance opening of the alcove. Preferablythey are of somewhat Z-shape in cross section, as illustrated in Fig. 2,so that, when the screen is hanging, their marginal flanges rest againstthe vertical tapes and they are supported on the cross tapes I5a in suchfashion that, while spaced vertically apart from one another, they forma continuous screen which conceals the interior of the alcove. The lowerend of the screen is free, the vertical tapes being connected in pairsat their lower ends by suitable rigid spacers I'I.

The carrier I8 is in the nature of a narrow sheet metal box closed atthe bottom, sides and ends, and subdivided by a partition I9 into anupper or screen housing compartment, which is open at its top, and alower or stop housing compartment. The carrier extends across the alcoveentrance, and at its ends carries demountable guide cleats 20, which aredetachably secured to it by screws 2l (see Fig. 5). These cleats ride inthe vertical guide slots Illa of the guides I0, so that the carrier ismovable upwardly and downwardly in a vertical plane below the screenformed of the ladder tapes I5 and slats I6.

The carrier I8 is suspended on suspension cables 22, which run from thecounterbalancing mechanism downwardly through apertures in the housingWall llc and through apertures in the slats I6 and partition I 9, therebeing a suspension cable adjacent each end of the carrier.

Withinthe lower compartment of the carrier and adjacent each endthereof, is a plate 24 which is hinged at 25 in a bracket 26, so that itmay swing Aupwardly until stopped by abutment of its flange 2l againstthe partition I9, or downwardly toward the bottom and adjacent end wallof the carrier. A spring 28, which is anchored in a plate 29, tends toswing the inner end of the plate 24 downwardly. Rigidly secured to theplate is a stop bar 38 which slopes downwardly toward the end of thecarrier, its lower end projecting through an aperture in the end Wall.The suspension cables 22 pass through apertures in the plates 24, andclamps 3|, which are not connected to the plates 24, are secured to thesuspension cables below said plates in position such that when thecables are taut, the clamps abut the under sides of the plates 24 andhold them in the upper limit position, against the tension of springs28, thus causing the carrier to be supported and suspended by thecables. Accordingly, so long as the suspension cables remain taut, thecarrier is supported by them, and the catch plates `are held in theirupper position and the stop bars 30 in their retracted position as shownin Fig. 6 and at the right hand end of Fig. 4. But if either one or bothof the cables should be severed, or loosed from its support at its upperend so as to become slack, as illustrated at the left hand side of Fig.4, the spring 28 will swing the plate 24 downwardly and push the stopbar 30 outwardly so that its projecting end will engage in one of thestop openings |012 of the associated guide I0. The suspension cables 22slide freely through the apertures in the slats I 6 and housing wallIIc, and run over guide sheaves 65 which are journaled in bearingmembers 66 fixed in the housing portion IIb. Thence they are guidedabout guide sheaves 61 and onto a winding drum 68, to which their endsare attached by connections YE9. Winding drum'68 is fixedr to a shaft'lll which is journaled in housing II, and a motion-reducing drum 'II isalso xed to said shaft.

An actuating drum 32 is fixed to a shaft 34 which is journaled in thehousing II, and an eccentric snail sheave 35 is also fixed to shaft 34so asto rotate with drum 32. A power-transmitting cable 33 is attachedat one end to actuating drum 32 so that it will wind on the peripherythereof, and at its other end it is attached to vmotion-reducing drum IIso that vit may wind thereon. A tension cable 36 has one end connectedto the snail 35, so that said cable will wind on the periphery thereof;and its other end connected rto the drag strap -3'I of a tension yoke38. 'A ltensioning means, comprised of a plurality of parallel helicalsprings 39, is connected at one end to the tension yoke 38 and at theother end to an anchor yoke 49, which is hinged at 4I to the upper endof an adjusting lever 42. This lever is of bell-crank form and is hingedat 44 in a channel 45 that is fixed in the housing. An adjusting screw4B is threaded in a nut 41 which is fixed to the channel 45, the upperend of said screw forming an abutment for the lower end of the adjustinglever 42. Said screw is accessible through an aperture 48 in the bottomoi housing Ii, so that it may be screwed upwardly or downwardly to rocklever 42 on its fulcrum 44 and thereby adjust the tension of springs 39.

A latch device, comprised of a latch lever 59 and detent bar l, isassociated with winding drum 68,v the lever 50 being pivoted at 52 sothat it may rock in a vertical arc. It has a catch portion 54 adapted tobe engaged by a lug 55 which is xed to the drum 68, to hold the drumagainst rotation in one direction. The lower end portion of detent bar5I extends through an aperture in the bottom of housing Il, and it maybe operated to swing latch lever 50 for the purpose of positioning thecatch 54 in or out of the path of lug 55, and the latch lever may beheld in the thrown-off position by engagement of the detent notch 5Ia cithe detent bar with the bottom of the housing. In Fig. 8 the latch isshown in the latching position, but it is normally maintained in thethrown-off position.

In Fig. 8 are shown two positions of snail 35 and tensioning device 39.The solid line position represents that assumed by these parts when theshutter is in the closed or fully lowered position. In this position thetensioning cable 36 is wound around the periphery of the snail 35, andthe springs 39 are in their maximum stretched or tensioned condition.The position of the snail and tensioning cable 36 which is shown indotted lines represents that which .they assume when the shutter is inthe open or fully elevated position, the cable 36 being unwound from thesnail and the springs 39 being in their minimum stretched condition.

The functions of this counterbalancing mechanism are to reel up andunreel the suspension cables 22 incident to the raising and lowering ofthe shutter, to sustain the shutter at various intermediate elevations,and to facilitate its operation by counterbalancing its weight andvarying the oounterbalancing power in relation to the increase anddecrease of the weighting of the carrier which occur incident to theraising and lowering thereof. As pointed out above, when the shutter isin the closed or fully lowered position, the weight of all of the slatsI6 is supported entirely by the ladder tapes. As the carrier isprogressively elevated to open position, the slats are picked up insuccession from the bottom by the carr1er, so that the weightingof thecarrier is progressively increased. As the carrier is progressivelyelevated, the suspension cables 22 are wound on the winding. drum 68which, by the pull of springs 39,` is rotatedin the direction indicated`by the arrow in Fig. 8. The pull of springs 39 is rendered eiective onwinding drum 68 through the medium of the snail 35, shaft 3d, tensioningdrum 32, transmission cable 33, motion-reducing drum 1i and shaft 10.Due to the contour and angular position ofthe snail 35, the torqueleverage exerted through it by springs 39 upon shaft 34 is at theminimum when the carrier is in the fully lowered position, although atthat time the tension of springs 39 is at the maximum.

The carrier is elevated manually by drawing it upwardly by means of itshandle la, such raising of the carrier being accomplished with butslight exertion because of the counterbalancing effect exerted bysprings 39 through the mechanism described above. With the progressiveupward movement of the carrier, the snail 35 is rotated in the directionindicated by the arrow in Fig. 8, and with such rotation of the snail,the torque leverage exerted by springs 39 cn shaft 34 is progressivelyincreased, due to the spiral contour of the snail from which thetensioning 'cable 36 gradually unwinds. Accordingly, as the carrier isprogressively elevated, the effectiveness of springs 39 iscommensurately increased, and the additional weight on the carrier,accruing from the picking up of the slats i6, is effectivelycounterbalanced.

Since the full height to which the carrier is elevated exceeds somewhatthe reach oi the average person, the contour of the snail is designed sothat when the carrier reaches a position of, say, two feet from itsupper limit, the torque leverage on shaft 34 is increased at a greaterratio than the additional weighting of the carrier. As a consequence,during the last two feet or so of the upward movement of the carrier, itis automatically lifted by power from the springs until it reaches itsupper limit position.

In its upper limit position, which is illustrated in Fig. l., all of theblind slats are housed Within the upper compartment of the carrier andthat compartment is tightly closed at the top by the housing wall i lc,so that access of smoke or vapors to the confined blind slats and tapesis prevented. In such position, the entire blind installation isentirely out oi the way and does not encroach upon the entrance space tothe alcove or interfere in any manner with use of any of the equipmentin the alcove.

If desired, the carrier may be made without any side wall at its sidewhich is toward the alcove. 1n that case its bottom wall is made ofsufficient width to contact the housing Il when the carrier is in itsfully elevated position, so that the contents of the carrier will becompletely enclosed, at the top and inner side by the housing and at theiront, bottom and ends by the walls of the carrier.

In order to permit the carrier to be drawn down conveniently from itselevated position, it is equipped with a depending pull cord 30 whichmay be grasped with the hand. After it has been drawn downwardly morethan `two feet or so, it will remain at anyelevation at which it isleft, due to the counterbalancing eiect of the mechanism abovedescribed. As it is drawn down, the blind pays out of the uppercompartment of the carrier and the slats assume their normal position asthey are withdrawn from it.A

When drawn fully down, the carrier may rest upon the iioor and form, ineiiect', a continuation of the baseboard trim of the room. In suchposition it affords an anchorage for the lower end of the screen, due tothe fact that the suspension cables 22 act as guides which keep thescreen slats in proper alignment vertically. When the carrier is in thelowered position, the suspension cables `22 are held taut by the tensionof the counterbalancing springs 39, and the safetyV catches 39 areaccordingly held in their Vretracted position, asillustrated at theright hand side of Fig. 4.

These safety catches are provided for two purposes, the first being toafford a means for automatically holding the carrier against falling inevent either of the suspension cables becomes broken ordetached or inevent anything goes wrong with the counterbalancing mechanism.

The second purpose is to provide means for holding the carrier in anelevated position,.should occasion require. In a closure of this sort,it is quite desirable that the blind be susceptible of removal easilyand quickly for purpose of cleaning, refinishing, or the like. With theconstruction above described, this may be accomplished as follows. Thecarrier is drawn down about half way, `and the latch detent bar 5I isdisengaged from the housing bottom Ila'. and the catch 54 is movedupwardly into the path of the lug 55. Then the carrier is moved upwardlyuntil the lug 55 engages the catch 54. When so engaged, the winding drum68 is held against rotating further under the pull of the springs 39.Then the carrier is elevated a little more, sothat the suspension cablesare slacked, whereupon the safety catches automatically engage in thestop slots- Ib, thus causing the carrier to be supported on the` guidesI0 rather than on the suspension cables. The pins I4 on which the tapesl5 are hung are then removed, and the slats and portions of the tapeswhich are above the carrier are lowered into it. Then access may be hadto the safety catch compartment of the carrier through openings l8bwhich are normally tightly closed by removable doors, and the clamps 3|may be disengaged from the suspension cables. Then the cables may bewithdrawn upwardly out of the slats, whereupon the entire screen may bedrawn` out of the carrier and the slats removed individually from thetapes. The carrier can be removed fromfthe guides I0 by removing thescrews 2| which hold the guide cleats 20 and then lifting the plates 24to disengage the catch bars 30 from the guides.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present inventionprovides a shutter installation which may be installed with facility ina limited space, which is entirely out of the way when in its openposition, and which forms an effective screen or closure when in itsclosed position. It is to be noted furthermore that when in the closedposition the shutter affords free access of air to the alcove forventilation of the equipment housed therein, but that at the same timeitis of substantial character and definitely held in place so that itcannot be swung or slammed by drafts of air or disarranged by havlngfurniture or other objects pushed against it.

What I claim is:

1. A shutter comprising, in combination, a plurality of slats, means forsuspending them movably in spaced relationship one under another, and acarrier below the slats and movable vertically in the space wherein theyare suspended, said c-arrier lhaving end, side and bottom walls forminga compartment for receiving the slats one upon another as it is elevatedthrough said space.

2. A shutter comprising, in combination, a plurality of slats, means forsupporting them independently in spaced relationship one under anotherin such fashion that they may be moved upwardly, a carrier below theslats and movable verticallyfin the space occupiedby them, said carrierhavinga compartment for receiving the slats oneupon another as it iselevated through said space, and means cooperating with the car rierwhen it isin its uppermost position to close said compartment andthereby enclose the slats.

3. A `shutter comprising, in combination, a plurality of slats, meansfor suspending them movably and indepedently in spaced relationship oneunder another, a carrier below the slats and movable vertically in thespace wherein they are suspended, said carrier affording a compartmentfor receiving said slats one upon another as it is elevated through saidspace, and suspension means for said carrier cooperating with said slatsto guide them into said compartment as the carrier is moved upwardly.

4. A shutter comprising, in combination, a plurality of slats. means forsupporting them in spaced relationship one below another in such fashionthat they may be moved upwardly, a carrier below .the slats and movablevertically in the space in which the slats are supported, said carrieraffording a compartment for picking up and carrying the slats in a stackone upon another as it is moved upwardly, guide means at the ends of thecarrier for guiding it in its vertical movement and exible guide meansconnected to the carrier and cooperating with the slats to guide them inparallel relationship into said compartment as the carrier is elevated.

5. A shutter as specified in claim 4 and wherein the compartment haswall portions which partially enclose theslats when they are carried onthe carrier, and closure walls are provided in position to cooperatewith walls of the compartment to enclose the slats completely when thecarrier. is inY its uppermost position.

6. In a shutter installation having a plurality of slats and means -forsupporting them independently one below another in such manner that theymay be moved upwardly and a carrier below the slatsand movable upwardlythrough the space occupied by them so as to pick them up successivelyand carry them upward, an operating means comprising. in combinationsuspension cables by which the carrier is supported, take-.up mechanismfor drawing up the suspension cables as the carrier is elevated andcounterbalancingmeans effective on the take-up mechanism to increase itspower progressively in proportion to .the increase of weight imposed on.the carrier by the slats during the major portion of the upward movementof the carrier and to an amount sufficient to lift it and the slatscarried thereon during the latter portion of its upward movement.

7. Inra shutter, the combination of a plurality of similar slats oflongitudinally channeled form so that they may nest or interfit withoneanother when stacked, means for supporting the slats in spacedrelation one below another, and a carrier below the slats and movableupwardly in the space` occupied by them to pick them .up one uponanother, saidcarrier having a portion for housing the slats stackedthereon at any elevation of the carrier.

. 8. A shutter comprising, in combination, a blind suspended at its topand made up of horizontally extending strips spaced one below anotherand flexible means Asupporting said strips, and a carrier below theblind and movable vertically in the space occupied by it to collapse theblind, said carrier having'a compartment for accommodating the stripsand portions ofthe flexible means which a-re in collapsed condition atany elevation of the carrier.

9. In a shutter installation having an upwardly collapsible blind and acarrier movable upwardly to collapse the blind and support prtionsthereof, a counterbalancing mechanism comprising suspension cables forsupporting the carrier, a winding drum for reeling up and paying outsaid cables, an actuating drum, driving connections between the windingdrum and actuating drum for effecting rotation of the former by thelatter at a multiplied rate throughout upward movement of the carrier, aspring for actuating the actuating drum, and a powertransmittingconnection between the spring and actuating drum whereby the torqueleverage of the spring on the actuating drum is increased progressivelyincident to rotation of said drum by said spring.

10. In a shutter having a vertically movable carrier which is subjectedto increasing weight as it is elevated, a counterbalancing mechanismcomprising suspension cables for supporting the carrier, a winding drumfor reeling up said cables as the carrier is elevated, an actuatingdrum, an operative connection between said drums whereby, upon elevationof the carrier the winding drum is rotated by rotation of the actuatingdrum but to a greater extent, a spring for rotating the actuating drum,and a power-transmitting connection between the spring and actuatingdrum whereby the torque leverage of the spring on the actuating drum isprogressively increased incident to rotation of the actuating drum inthe direction to effect reeling-up rotation of the winding drum.

11. In a shutter installation having an upwardly collapsible blind and acarrier movable upwardly to collapse the blind and support portionsthereof, a counterbalancing mechanism comprising suspension cables forsupporting the carrier, a winding drum for reeling up and paying outsaid cables, an actuating drum, driving connections between the windingdrum and actuating drum whereby the former may be rotated by the latterbut always at a multiplied rate, a spring for actuating the actuatingdrum, a power-transmitting connection between the spring and actuatingdrum whereby the torque leverage of the spring on the actuating drum isvaried incident to rotation of said drum, and means for latching thewinding drum against operation by the actuating drum.

l2. A shutter installation comprising a housing adapted to be installedin a building adjacent the top of a wall opening and alfording meanslfor supporting a collapsible blind in suspension thereon, take-upmechanism in said housing, supporting cables attached to and adapted tobe reeled up and paid out by said take-up mechanism incident to theraising and lowering of the blind, said housing having a recess forreceiving the blind in its collapsed and raised condition, and a carrierfor the blind adapted to be supported on the housing by the supportingcables and adapted for cooperation with the housing to enclose thecollapsed blind in the recess thereof.

DON D. SWENEY.

